Jaguar Land Rover enters the electric motorcycle business

Jaguar Land Rover is taking its first steps in the motorcycle world by investing in the electric bicycle startup Arc.

The company’s InMotion investment fund, which aims to advance electrified mobility, is backing the Coventry-based bicycle maker, started by former Jaguar executive Mark Truman.

“For Jaguar Land Rover’s venture capital fund, it’s about being a technology leader in a disruptive environment,†said Sebastian Peck, CEO of InMotion Ventures. “Our mission is to develop an expanded footprint for Jaguar Land Rover in the new world of premium mobility.”

“We understand the power of emotional connection and the creation of truly desirable objects, so we see a natural synergy with Arc,†he added. “The Vector is an incredible development in the next generation of motorcycle travel.”

Arc differs from most bike makers, not because its products are electrified – and the two-wheeled world is pretty far behind cars when it comes to that sort of thing – but because of the way its bikes are. manufactured. Unveiled this week in Milan, Arc’s first bike, the Vector, is considered the most advanced bike ever.

The handcrafted Vector has a lightweight carbon composite structure and a sophisticated unibody battery module that reduces weight, a problem almost all electric vehicles face, while maintaining MotoGP-level rigidity. There are carbon swingarms up front and rear, bespoke Ohlins shocks for what Arc calls “telepathic handling and feedback,†and Brembo brakes on BST wheels. In total, the bike weighs 220 kg, which is about 60 kg less than comparable bikes.

The performance figures are also correct. The 0-60 dash is handled in just 3.1 seconds, while the bike’s top speed is 120 mph. State-of-the-art on-board battery technology produces 399 voltage units for a range of approximately 200 miles in city use and 120 miles on the highway.

That’s not all. The bike comes with a futuristic helmet. The Zenith helmet has a connected head-up display that projects the speedometer, satellite navigation and auxiliary graphics onto the rider’s visor, just like the Iron Man helmet.

“With Vector, we set out to build the most capable electric motorcycle,†said Mark Truman, Founder and CEO of Arc Vehicle Ltd. “With EVs in general, the powertrain weighs a lot. It really can’t be avoided if you want capacity, distance and performance. So it was all about removing everything and using a lot of material. exotic and light, like carbon fiber. “

“The chassis and the battery module had to be one, and with this approach we were able to reduce the weight as much as possible to achieve the performance we were looking for,†added Truman. “The design brief was, if the term ‘cafe racer’ were to be coined in ten years, what would it look like? “